McIlroy, who signed for a one-under-par-70, said: "I felt I did well to get to three under par for the round after 15 - it was a good birdie there".

"I've always wanted to battle it out in a major with Tiger".

Woods was four shots behind.

The last player to make a successful title defence was Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who coincidentally won at Carnoustie in 2007 and again 12 months later at Royal Birkdale.

If this was the Woods of 15 years ago, he likely would be "the champion golfer of the year, " as they say over here, and have his name on the claret jug a fourth time. "I won't lie. I had too much to drink last night", he said after shooting 67 and finishing in a three-way tie for sixth.

"I can't find the words right now, but one picture would do it." he tweeted in both English and Italian, attaching a picture of little brother Francesco pumping his fist after winning the British Open. I received a lot of good wishes. "Next thing, lo and behold, I'm tied for the lead, and then I'm leading it". Obviously conscious that it could have gone either way, but I knew I was going to do my best today. But even the appeal of Spieth was no match for seeing Woods, in his traditional red shirt, in the mix at a major.

The three-time major victor arrived at the Angus links on Saturday afternoon sporting a rather severe-looking short back and sides but a superb 65 catapulted him to nine under and set up a long-dreamed-about final-day tussle with a resurgent Tiger Woods.

He was a forgotten figure when he teed off in the final round of the British Open, mainly because he was playing with Tiger Woods, and because of the star power around him. Six were still tied on the back nine.

At the age of 42, finding a way to win is going to be a tall task.

"It certainly is possible", he said. Still in range, he couldn't get close enough for a birdie when it mattered.

Woods has not won any tournament since 2013 but, with his form returning after years beset by back problems, his confidence is growing.

"It means that someone could post a score from six hours before and potentially win the golf tournament". For the first time I felt like I was ready for it.

"That putt on the last, I'll never forget", he said. "If I can just make the birdies and try to limit the damage tomorrow it will be interesting".

Rose finished almost three hours before the leaders teed off, and was at 4 under for the tournament, two shots off the lead held by Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner. But it was the middle part of his round that left him dissatisfied.

Typical of his first full season since 2015 because of back surgeries, the challenge is more the number of players in front of him than the deficit he faces.

But Scott knows the golfing gods will need to smile on him.

"Jordan and I, we got off to a nice, sort of easy-going start, had a couple birdie looks and then whatever happened, happened".

Of today's performance, he admitted to ESPN, "A little ticked off at myself for sure", adding, "I had a chance starting the back nine to do something and I didn't do it".

Another soggy day with showers and stormsJul 25, 2018 - 21:01
More try time arrives for the end of the week and the weekend, but there will be shower and storm chances. Thursday and Friday look mainly dry, with just a few pop-up afternoon storms expected.

Pakistan goes to polls as candidates pray for victoryJul 24, 2018 - 23:58
He said the elder Sharif, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz, were arrested and were not even allowed to meet Sharif's mother. Some 3,459 candidates, representing more than 100 political parties, are competing for 272 seats in the national assembly.

Assad advance spurs 'urgent' Russia-Israel talks on Syria bufferJul 24, 2018 - 22:45
The rescue workers and their families crossed out of Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights before arriving in Jordan. According to him, the U.S. is trying to establish their own interests as the ones who initiated the evacuation.

Trump to offer US farmers billions to ease trade painJul 24, 2018 - 21:56
His comments come as the president is engaged in tough talk on trade with China, Canada and many European nations. Trump has threatened to ratchet that up to more than $500 billion, a move that has left financial markets uneasy.

Novichok victim discharged from British hospitalJul 23, 2018 - 18:46
Authorities are looking whether the couple's nerve agent exposure was linked to a recent attack on Skripal and Yulia. You never hear of someone being killed by Novichok so I thought it was important for people to remember her.

Jupiter's moon count reaches 79, including tiny 'oddball'Jul 23, 2018 - 17:46
A graphic released by the Carnegie Institution for Science shows the orbits of the known and newly discovered moons of Jupiter. Sheppard described the 12th new moon as an " oddball " with "an orbit like no other known Jovian moon".

VERSE Footage Reveals John Mulaney Is Peter Porker, Spider-Ham!Jul 21, 2018 - 17:26
As you can imagine, it's being bundled with the highly anticipated new Marvel's Spider-Man video game that's exclusive to the PS4. The controller uses a mixture of that same red color along with white buttons to pair nicely with the console.

Hall H Debut Of New ‘Doctor Who’ Unveils New Season TeaserJul 21, 2018 - 15:58
The new Doctor points out how everything is new to her: new faces (including her own), new places, new times to travel through. Instead, the focus is on Doctor Who , The Simpsons , Supergirl , The Walking Dead and dozens of other television titles.